Dennis Lewis of The Boeing Company

Microwave test and measurement equipment is used for many applications, including component measurements, electromagnetic compatibility testing, metrology and wireless environment assessments.Much of this equipment requires special care and consideration in order to eliminate damage and maintain a high level of accuracy. When developing these high frequency measurement systems and evaluating system performance, it is common to consider the warranted equipment specifications. Very often, however, the error contribution of cables and connectors to the system uncertainty is overlooked. Impedance mismatch is typically the largest source of measurement error and is largely influenced by the cables and connectors used within the system. Something as insignificant as a $30 connector can adversely affect the performance of a system costing several hundred thousand dollars. This presentation provides an overview of commonly used cables and connectors and discusses some of the errors associated with them. The impact of these errors on overall measurement system uncertainties is discussed. The presentation finishes with some practical examples and real world applications to help guide participants in the selection and use of cables and connectors and more accurately assess system performance.

Biography:

Dennis Lewis received his BS EE degree with honors from Henry Cogswell College and his MS degree in Physics from the University of Washington. He has worked at Boeing for 32 years and is recognized as a Technical Fellow, leading the enterprise antenna measurement capability for Boeing Test and Evaluation. Dennis holds ten patents and is the recipient of the 2013 and 2015 Boeing Special Invention Award. He is a senior member of the IEEE and several of its technical societies including the Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S), the Antennas and Propagation Society and the Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Society. He actively contributes to these societies as a member of the IEEE MTT-S subcommittee 3 on microwave measurements and as a Board Member and a past Distinguished Lecturer for the EMC Society. He is a Senior Member and served as Vice President on the Board of Directors for the Antenna Measurements Techniques Association (AMTA) and chaired its annual symposium in 2012 and 2023. Dennis is a part time faculty member teaching a course on Measurement Science at North Seattle College and is chairman of the Technical Advisory Committee. His current technical interests include aerospace applications of reverberation chamber test techniques as well as microwave and antenna measurement systems and uncertainties.

Address:Seattle, Washington, United States

Jason Bommer of Ansys

Physics-based simulation, such as the finite element method (FEM), has been the cornerstone of antenna design for decades. As computational efficiency improves year over year, so has the demand on size and scale of applications. Simulation of the isolated antenna is no longer adequate as vehicle integrators (aircraft, satellites, automobiles, etc.) expect full installed performance assessment via simulation as well. Thanks to myriad computational techniques and the resourcefulness of developers, hybrid methods enable enormous scale that include small RF components and antennas as well as interactions with the much-larger platform. This can be extended farther by including relevant features of the environment including terrain, buildings, and other objects and actors. Furthermore, the combination of installed antenna simulation with digital missions, such as a flight dynamic scenario, increases the fidelity and usefulness of the overall virtual prototype. In this presentation, we provide an overview of simulation techniques and demonstrate the first advantage of large-scale antenna simulations. Next, we demonstrate the power of digital mission engineering using the example of interference characterization and mitigation between a 5G base station and an airborne radar altimeter. Finally, in connection with the DRAMS demonstration to follow, we discuss how near field antenna measurements can be combined with simulation to obtain a measurement-informed performance assessment for complex antenna systems on practically any platform of any size. This opens the door to test-certified "digital twins" of radar or communications systems for full mission scenarios providing unprecedented accuracy and prediction capability.

Biography:

Jason Bommer is a Principal Application Engineer in the electronics business unit at Ansys specializing in RF, antenna, mission, and interference applications. He is also an adjunct instructor at the Science and Math Institute in Tacoma, Washington where he teaches computational physics and engineering. Prior to joining Ansys through the Delcross acquisition in 2015, Jason served as an electromagnetics effects engineer at Boeing for over sixteen years. He holds BS and MS degrees in physics from University of New Orleans and University of Washington, respectively.

Address:Seattle, Washington, United States

Dennis Lewis of The Boeing Company

Traditional antenna test facilities are typically designed with a specific measurement application in mind, and as a result these facilities tend to be comprised of single fixed measurement geometry. However, modern antenna measurement ranges employing multi-axis robotic positioners provide a near limitless degree of re-configurability in terms of measurement types and scan geometries. This drives an ongoing need to evaluate each unique setup and application. This previously unimaginable flexibility offers new opportunities for the improvement of safety, measurement quality and reduction of measurement uncertainties. These new robotic systems are capable of acquiring large amounts of special data allowing for the implementation of advanced post processing techniques. Model based Systems Engineering and development (MBSE/MBD) approaches can be employed to dramatically reduce the time, effort and cost associated with the test development and validation phases of a given program. MBSE tools can also be used to optimize test configurations to greatly reduce measurement uncertainties and simulate measurements. This presentation provides an overview of how these engineering techniques are being harnessed during the implementation of a new dual multi-axis robotic antenna test system. Following the presentation, attendees will take a technical tour of the DRAMS lab and see a live demonstration that complements Mr. Bommer's presentation.

Address:Seattle, Washington, United States